A shovel is basically a hand tool used in different tasks such as construction, gardening, cleaning, etc., which has two primary functions: manually digging or moving materials from one place to another.
In general, a shovel comprises two main elements: a shovel blade be made up of a sheet or plate on the bottom end of the shovel that usually it is rectangular and slightly concave element and made of metal; and the handle or stub on the top end of the shovel to manipulate said tool. The shape of the shovel blade, as well as certain characteristics of the handle, depend on the type of task to be performed with this tool.
The use of shovel with steel handles is known in the prior art. Specifically, coupling means that attach the handle with the shovel. However, these means lose their physical properties with the use until they break. Said coupling means commonly consist of screws or rims as in the shovel described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,699,700.
As mentioned before, a shovel comprises a handle and a shovel blade; wherein one of the ends of the shovel blade includes a coupling neck through which the handle of said shovel is inserted attached thereto by fastening means. In the practice, the area where these elements are coupled is a critical point of fracture, as said area undergoes a force pressure exerted by the user; as well as to the load weight that the shovel undergoes during its use. Thus, the neck of the shovel blade, the coupling means or the handle itself tends to fracture over time. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,878,334 B2 discloses a shovel including a handle and a shovel blade, wherein said elements are coupled through a plurality of mechanical fasteners, such as metal screws that are attached in a first end of the handle to the shovel blade and a second end of the handle includes a grip. However, said shovel becomes fractured as the end of the handle, as well as the coupling portion of the shovel blade comprise a series of bores for the coupling thereof using screws as fastening means between both elements, thus, the coupling is weaker.
In this sense, the steel handle shovel according to the present invention, differs substantially in its coupling assembly design from the elements that comprise same with respect the conventional ones already known in the prior art.
The steel handle shovel solves the mentioned problems as it is designed with a minimum of elements which allow to distribute the force exerted by the user or the weight in working conditions, in different areas of the handle and the shovel blade; and not just in one area, making the shovel with steel handle of the present invention more resistant unlike shovels already known in the prior art.
The present invention aims to provide a steel handle shovel having a coupling assembly that further serves as reinforcement means of the shovel with steel handle; wherein said coupling assembly provides the shovel with a higher resistance to the forces and the weight it undergoes under working conditions.
Therefore, the embodiment of the invention described herein comprises a combination of technical features and benefits that substantially improve the shovel with steel handle of the prior art. These and many other features and advantages of the invention will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading the detailed description of the invention, making reference to the enclosed drawings.